Senate Majority PAC is scrubbing its North Carolina ad slate this week and sending those dollars to the Midwest, with former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper increasingly seen as the favorite against Republican Michael Whatley. The fresh bookings steer $7 million to Ohio and $2.5 million to Iowa. Both states went to President Donald Trump by double-digit margins two years ago, which makes the late-stage investment notable.
In Ohio, the buy hits only hours before Trump's stop in Youngstown, a historically Democratic area that swung hard toward him.
The latest Ohio push brings the PAC's cumulative spend there to $70 million. All told, more than $430 million in advertising is slated to flood the Ohio race across all players, making it the second most expensive contest this cycle behind Texas, per AdImpact. According to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Sherrod Brown - the Democratic candidate and a former senator who lost two years back - holds a six-point advantage over Republican incumbent Jon Husted.
In Iowa, Republican Representative Ashley Hinson faces Democratic state legislator Josh Turek as her challenger. With the new buy, Senate Majority PAC's total in Iowa reaches $32.5 million. An Emerson College poll has Hinson leading by two points. Spending in the state's Senate race is projected to reach $202 million, with Democrats at $101 million, Republicans at $98 million, and an independent group having spent $3.4 million on ads criticizing Hinson over agriculture policy.
Ad spending decisions reveal which races parties think are winnable. Market Briefs covers that signal free every morning.
Democrats are tapping voter frustration with the US economy as they seek to add four seats and seize the Senate. The latest reshuffle follows the PAC's $5 million ad purchase in Kansas to support pastor Adam Hamilton, who is mounting a competitive run against Republican Senator Roger Marshall in a state that last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1932.
Cook Political Report now labels Iowa, Kansas and Ohio as toss-ups, with North Carolina moving into the likely Democrat column. Tracking that shift, the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund canceled its North Carolina reservations last week and has no plans to resume spending for Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chair who has cleaved closely to Trump.
Campaign cash hunts for tight races at the end, and this flow points to where the real fights are. Expect heavier ad saturation in Ohio and Iowa and a cooler North Carolina, which can ripple through local broadcasters and digital ad markets. If you keep an eye on regional economies, those are the places most likely to feel a late-campaign jolt.
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